Celebrating "Mankind's Great Chance" on Risk a Day

Great chance lies precisely in the unlikeness of men...and crayons, I would add.

One of my favorite quotes is from Martin Buber in The Way of Man, in which he says, “Mankind’s great chance lies precisely in the unlikeness of men, in the unlikeness of their qualities and inclinations.”

A few weeks ago as I was leading a poetry class, I forgot Buber’s words when I unexpectedly found myself feeling very unlike the small group of students who faced me. I wondered if I was sharing poems – both my own and others’ – that they could connect with at all. Since I was the teacher, I didn’t have any choice but to press on. Read what I learned in my article The Power of Admitting Where You’re From on the Risk A Day blog.

KORY WELLS is author of HEAVEN WAS THE MOON, poetry from March Street Press. Winner of the 2016 HeartWood Broadside Series and a two-time finalist for the Rash Award for Poetry, Kory's work appears in numerous print and online publications, including THE SOUTHERN POETRY ANTHOLOGY from Texas Review Press.

In 2017 Kory was selected the inaugural poet laureate of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where she's lived most of her life. A software developer for many years, Kory’s now a poetry mentor with MTSU Write and is principal founder and curator of Poetry in the Boro. She also advocates for democracy, afternoon naps, and other good causes.
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Kory and her daughter Kelsey Wells, an old-time musician, collaborate on the album DECENT PAN OF CORNBREAD. Kelsey also plays with the contra dance band duo TURNIP THE BEET. Click the album cover below to sample on bandcamp.